These Chai Cheesecake Cups are a quick and easy, not-too-sweet dessert that incorporates the Indian flavors of sweet chai with good for you protein packed Greek Cream Cheese.
What is Chai?
Chai is an Indian tea brewed with milk, sugar and cardamom. Translated, Chai means “tea”, so please, for the sake of our Indian friends, don’t call it Chai Tea…it’s like saying Tea Tea.
Chai is a perfect after-dinner drink because the cardamom helps with digestion. So, I took the flavor profile and adapted it to a quick layered dessert, because everything’s better in a glass jar, right?
Using the principles of a no-bake cheesecake, I matched up chai infused condensed milk and a ginger cookie crumble. The result is a dessert that isn’t too sweet. Also, there’s a bonus with specifically using Greek Cream Cheese as listed in the recipe. It has half the fat of regular cream cheese and live active cultures from the yogurt. That means it’s healthy!!! Right?!? Well, okay, ignore that whole “add sweetened condensed milk and frozen whipped topping” thing.
Bring on the spices!
Chai Cheesecake Cups
Once you make the filling, place all of the chai cheesecake filling into a large ziplock bag and cut a hole in one of the corners. This is a makeshift piping bag (if you have a piping bag, go for it!) so you can pipe the filling into the jars. Push the filling down toward the open tip, directing the tip into one of the crumble filled jars and push in filling until it is level with the top of the jar. Then pull up quickly to create a nice, decorative peak.
Chocolate Drizzle to Go Decadent
Finally, and this is optional, microwave 2 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate (I like to use the Ghiradelli melting wafers) in 15 second intervals until it’s smooth and liquid. From there, drizzle it over the top of the chai cheesecake cups, creating a messy lattice pattern. Feel free to drizzle/flick like crazy to create thing chocolate lines. If it goes over the edge of the jars, don’t worry. Just go back with a damp cloth to wipe off the excess chocolate. Before the drizzle cools completely, sprinkle on the remaining cookie crumble. Place the chai cheesecake cups in the fridge to fully set and cool. Then serve.
*Brought to you by the fine folks at Franklin Foods, makers of Greek Cream Cheese
[tasty-recipe id=”6654″]
